Point Loma Leaves Chula Vista in Fog

Point Loma found its offense in Friday night’s Section 3-A semifinal against Chula Vista, and the Spartans lost their’s in a fog as the Pointers won, 21-10, at Southwestern College’s DeVore Stadium.

So Point Loma Coach Bennie Edens will spend his 66th birthday today recalling a night in which running back Rantie Harper ran for 145 yards on 20 carries, carrying his team all the way to the Section Championship next week in San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium against the winner of tonight’s Vista-Mira Mesa game.

But it wasn’t only Harper who gave his coach an early birthday present. As has been the case with the Pointers all season, the defense can take most of the credit.

In fact, it took a Chula Vista fumble, one of two the Pointers’ insist they created, with just more than two minutes remaining in the first half before Point Loma’s offense could muster any momentum.

But then starting at the other guys’ 16 has a way of pumping your adrenaline.

And no one was faulting Chula Vista running back LaMar Bailey for coughing up the ball so close to his goal line.

Instead, the Pointers were taking credit.

“We try to hit high and strip the ball away,” said Point Loma linebacker Pico Gonzalez, who picked up the second fumble. Tackle La’Roi Glover recovered the first.

It took the Pointers only two plays to capitalize, and it was Harper who carried it in from 13 yards out as he took a hand off up the middle and broke several tackles before being tripped up. He landed inches over the goal line.

After Kris Auer tacked on the extra point, the Pointers had their first lead, 14-10.

Chula Vista (10-3) started surprisingly strong and Bailey gave Point Loma something to think about by returning the opening kick 44 yards to the Point Loma 49. It took the Spartans six plays to cover those 49 yards, and Michael Peterson capped the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run.

“That was a surprise to us,” Gonzalez said. “We just weren’t reading our keys quick enough and we messed up. We messed up real good.”

But this time the Point Loma offense was there to cover up. It went 80 yards on 10 plays on its first drive to tie the game. Harper finished it off with an 11-yard touchdown sweep.

Enjoying good field position throughout the first half, Chula Vista regained the lead, 10-7, with seven minutes left in the second quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Kevin Brennan.

The only touchdown of the second half came after the Pointer defense forced a second fumble, this one jarred from running back Michael Peterson at the Pointer 27, cutting short a 64-yard drive.

This time, it took only seven plays for Point Loma to go 73 yards. The touchdown came when quarterback Ben White hit Shaunta Baker with a 10-yard pass.

“Our offense redeemed itself tonight,” Edens said. “Our offense won t for us.”

And none of the defenders were upset that the offense stole their show for a change.